The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters

Hashbrown Winters #1

by Frank L. Cole

Meet Hashbrown Winters. Like any typical Pordunce Elementary fifth grader, he's got a story. Actually he has several. There's the story of how he got his nickname, the story of how his treehouse club became one of the most popular groups at school, and, of course, the story of his untimely demise after a mishap with the beloved pet cockroach of Pordunce's walking death dealer, Hambone Oxcart. Will Hashbrown be able to convince Pordunce's own mob boss, Cordovo Figanewty, to offer him protection? Or are his days at Pordunce about to come to a swift and painful end? In this hilarious debut novel from Frank L. Cole, every kid who's any kid has a nickname, and half the fun of the story is figuring out how they got it. The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters will keep kids and parents alike laughing out loud, groaning in sympathy, and turning pages until well past bedtime.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

98 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Frank L. Cole has lived in such exotic places as the Philippines and Kentucky, and currently lives with his wife and three children out west. While he strived for years to earn his publishing credits, Frank considers sharing his message of “Exercising Your Imagination” to over 100,000 kids across the country as his greatest accomplishment. Frank has been published with Cedar Fort Books, Delacorte Press, and Shadow Mountain Publishing. The Legend of the Last Library is Frank's 15th published book. You can learn more about his writing at frankcolewrites.com

Reviews

[Robin Glassey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I bought for my elementary school kids as part of a series about Hashbrown Winters, a boy attending Podunce Elementary School. Every kid in this school goes by a nickname they have earned and each page is filled with lots of humor sure to keep children reading. I wanted to find out Hashbrown's fate, and if he could outwit Hambone, the school bully and his pet cockroach or be smashed to smithereens.

[Lois Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a deep, down-to-earth middle grade book—one that teaches children about the real world—then stop, turn around, and run. Stay as far away from the book HASHBROWN WINTERS by Frank Cole as you can.

However, if you'd enjoy a quick escape from the doldrums of winter, then grab a cup of hot cocoa and get ready to read about Hashbrown, a fifth grader at Pordunce Elementary who signs his own death warrant after accidentally injuring Hambone Oxcart's enormous pet cockroach. If you couldn't tell by his name, Hambone is twice as big and three times as mean as any other kid in the class.

Frank Cole's debut novel is about kids. Funny kids. In the story you'll meet Cordovo Figanewty, a sixth grader turned mafia boss who has taken over the teacher's lounge, forcing them to eat in a janitorial closet. You'll also be introduced to The Oracle, a kid who was shoved into his locker seven years ago and has never come out. He lives by charging students money and/or food in exchange for his all-important knowledge.

The book begins in the middle of a paint-ball war. From the get-go I knew I was in for a treat. As the story progressed, I was impressed by the variety of characters and randomness of it all. This book is a must for right-brained thinkers. Don't expect everything (or anything) to make sense. For example, does The Oracle go to the bathroom in his locker? Eewww!

Middle-graders will enjoy the story's action and adults will find the simplistic plot reminiscent of younger days when small things were blown way out of proportion. If you liked the movie THE SANDLOT from the 1990s (one of my favorites), then you'll love this book.

Happy reading!

[Miriam]

My cousin wrote this. He is young and I didn't even know he wrote books and then he goes and gets one published. If you are a fan of the Barlows read this!!!! I'm getting my copy as soon as I am back from Washington. I'll let you know what I think. I have this idea that I want to get Randee Meik (The coolest/funniest girl in Merced and possibly anywhere) to read this with me. Anyone want to read this with me and Randee? (If she agrees?)

[Phillip Chipping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready to suspend disbelief - If you do, you'll love this series. It's full of whacky, laugh-out-loud absurdities. Frank's genius shines with zany, creative, fun scenes at every turn. But reader beware - nothing is as you'd expect. This silly, far-from-reality book will have you giggling and laughing the entire way, if you're willing to let it. But if you're not into that kind of middle-grade world, then go read Julie of the Wolves or Hatchet or something super-serious. But don't blame Frank when you're not laughing.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun #middlegrade my kids have loved reading together. It is definitely a fantastical depiction of how an elementary age boy sees the world, but that's most likely why my boys love it. Me-I find I'm rolling my eyes a lot. 🙄😂 #bookafayaz #middlegradebooks #middlegradefiction @cedarfort @franklcolewrites #hashbrownwinters

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend highly recommended this book to me. I finally read it. I am not a young male, so I bet a lot of the humor was lost on me. However, it has moments that were quite funny, and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wacky, humorous tale of Hashbrown Winters and his friends and their struggles with the school bully, Hambone Oxcart. I have to admit, I wasn't sure quite what to think about this book at first. It is rather strange, I mean the setting is a fairly normal elementary school, but that's about all that's normal about it. There is an 'elementary mob boss,' an 'oracle' who lives in a locker, and pretty much everyone has a strange nickname of some sort. Basically the book is absurd to the point of being humorous, for those who enjoy absurdity. For example, Hashbrown's friends are named Snow Cone, Whiz (don't ask), Four Hips, and Measles. I spent quite a bit of time rolling my eyes, but I have a strong feeling that a lot of kids would find this book very funny. I did find Cole's descriptions quite entertaining and creative. Here are some examples:

"She giggled hoarsely, sounding more like a braying donkey than a ten-year-old girl."

"I looked over my shoulder at the sun slowly sliding behind the horizon. It very well could have been a giant hash brown dropping into a fiery vat of cooking oil."

"Hambone's feet are enormous. They are so big he once stepped on both of Timothy Kiegan's feet at the same time and snapped every single one of his toes."

This book would be great for teaching about metaphors other sorts of descriptions, also how exaggeration can be used to make a point, this book is full of exaggeration and humor. For the right reader, this series would be quite enjoyable. Recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to hear Frank L. Cole speak about this series. He is very funny and I thought I'd give the books a try. They were just as I predicted: very silly and a bit far-fetched. A little (or a lot) below my reading level, but fun. They take place in an elementary school, where crazy things happen. At first I was very critical of the unbelievable elements in the story, but soon just played along with them. I mean, who could be stuck inside a locker for seven years? Who eats two trumpet cases full of food every day? Who has a pet cockroach that talks? But how is that not funny to an elementary school student? Frank is a very good author, and while I enjoyed this book and the second one, I'm not sure I'll pick up the third volume.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although somewhat predictable, this short book was good, and I can see where middle grade boys would like it. The biggest complaint is that at time the author seems to try a little to hard to make the story funny, the dialogue snappy, and the names memorable. AS a matter of fact, I read the character names to my 9-year-old and he thought they were stupid, and that no one would give nicknames like that to their friends, so in that aspect, perhaps the story was a little too old-fashioned because strange nicknames seemed to have gone out with the Leave-it-to-Beaver days. I wanted to know more about the Oracle.

[Kaylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read. I loved this book . It was so funny. I loved the characters names and the end was classic. (deus ex machina) I would recommend this book both to young readers and those who just want a good laugh. Thank you Frank for writing such a great book my family and I thouroughly enjoyed it.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, this book was pretty funny. I especially loved the part at the beginning of the paintball war. I was laughing so hard, my kids thought I was crazy. Some of the characters were a little overkill, but overall, the book was good. My 12 year old daughter finished the book before I did and really enjoyed it.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is WONDERFUL!
I LOVE the humor!
This book has a lot of creativity to it and kept me reading to know what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of a kid again and all the trauma that happens in school and on the playground :)
This is a perfect book to read alone OR together as a family OR in a classroom!

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the published version of this story. I got to hear about it from Frank when we were in a writer's group together. I am so happy that he was able to get it published and I look forward to reading more of Frank's work.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, but nothing wonderful. I kept feeling like the author was trying too hard to be funny. I had to force myself to finish it. Maybe school-aged kids would like it better than I did, but it seemed pretty amateur.

[Graham Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read that you'll probably knock out in an hour. I think it'd work best for its age level. It's not serious hardly at all, and the author often ignores rules of "reality", which lends itself well to the story. Not bad.

[Diana Ault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read with a lot of character. Great dialogue and cast of characters. The fantastical elements spotted throughout were treated matter-of-factly and added to the charm of the story.

[Ashton Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a free copy my junior year of high school at a special event for the writers that were published in a Davis County Anthology. Frank L. Cole was the speaker. I loved this book so much! Hilarious, fast paced, and so creative. I have currently purchased the rest of the books.

[T.P. Jagger · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had some funny moments, which saved it from a 1-star rating. However, the characters felt far too predictable and 1-dimensional. In the end, I was left wishing there had been some depth to the book to go with the humor.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for young children. I think the imagination is clever, but not terribly engaging for an adult audience.

[Rozelle Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Kind of reminded me of the Little Rascals. It was funny, witty and highly imaginative.
Your kids will love it and so will you. I highly recommend it!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Cole leaves me speechless. Who can think up this stuff? The way he says things, the way he thinks, are not normal. Genius or insanity? I can't wait for the next book!!!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute, imaginative, fun characters--but, boy, does it drag on. Too over the top for me. Should've been a short story.

[mitzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My munchkin really liked the weird nicknames for every kid. She loved Whiz the best and thought it was hilarious that he whizzed everywhere at any moment.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but not a classic. Much better for little boys. Nice twist at the end.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eli is reading this one. When he is done I'll get his review.

[Krista Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and witty quick read, filled with hilarious incites of an 11-year-old boy and his gang of friends defeating a bully.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute book, easy read. I was taken in by the adorable illustration on the front cover. I got a kick out of the different nicknames of the boys in the school.

[Tiffany Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. My 8 year old wasn't too into it. Reminded me a lot of Codename Kids Next Door.

[Mariah Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun read. Hashbrown certainly doesn't try to get into sticky situations, but he's pretty talented at getting out of them. This is one kid's book that's even fun for adults to read!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 11 year old gobbled up all the Hashbrown Winters we could find. Loved it.